Autism: where does it come from?

“Every child has some spontaneous mutations,” explains Iossifov. “But in some unlucky children these mutations severely affect the functioning of a particular gene. Autism affects so many children in today’s world and the numbers are only increasing; at an alarming rate if you are unaware. In a 2 year span, the diagnosis has jumped 15%, from 1 in 68 children, to 1 in 59. Boys are affected far more than girls, at about a rate of 4 to 1. Unfortunately we don’t know what has caused or continues to cause this uneven ratio. “Some of the change in prevalence is said to be caused by improved autism identification which is important, because children identified early with autism and connected to services are more likely to reach their fullest potential.” (read more here). So you ask, where does it come from? How does our child have a developmental delay if neither of us do? How is one child on the spectrum  and not the other(s)? Autism genetics expert Ivan Iossifov explains it simply as “spontaneous mutations”, generating from how the sperm and egg interact in the mothers womb. Read the full article and watch the short “Unified Theory of Autism” video below.

You will not know immediately if your child is showing symptoms of Autism, but detecting this at an early age can be very beneficial in their life. At a young age, some of the most prevalent and indefinable symptoms are listed below to help you determine if you may need to have your child evaluated for autism. Behavior Frontiers uses an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Training Program with an Autism Specialization to explain the symptoms. The 3 key problems they specify are identifying 6 or more problems in socializing, communicating, and repetitive and inflexible behaviors. In the video link, they display and explain in-depth scenarios of each situation to help you identify prevalent autistic symptoms.